Wick-lift for lamps



(No Modem H. L. CLARK. WICK LIFT Fon LAMPS. No. 481,748.

Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT HORACE LEE CLARK, OF RUTHERFORD, NEV JERSEY.

WICK-LIFT FOR LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,748, dated August 30, 1892.

Application tiled May 31, 1889. Serial No. 312,755. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE LEE CLARK, a citizen of the United States of America, residin gat Rutherford, county of Bergen, and State of New Jersey, have invented and made certain new and useful Improvements in IVick Raisers or Lifts forIIydrocarbon-Lamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description and specification of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part thereof.

I have applied my invention to lamps havving a central draft-tube and a circular hollow wick surrounding it and dipping into a surrounding oil-chamber, and which is usually encompassed by a sleeve and is raised and lowered by a rod or stem, which lnoves vertically and is attached rigidly to said sleeve and extends upward through a slot in the top of the oilchamber. The distance to which the wick can be so raised is limited by the bulge on the lamp-chimney, because the top of the lifting stem or rod comes in contact with said bulb when the wick has been raised sufficiently for said stem to strike. Thus a small portion only of the wick can be used. On account of the necessary nearness of the lifting-stein to the flame of the lamp as it rises the said stem heats, so that it is liable to burn the hand of the operator.

Theobject of my invention is to obviate these difficulties; and to this end it consists in certain combinations of parts or elements fully set forth in and claimed at the end of this specication.

In order that persons skilled in the art may understand, construct, and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe it, referring to the drawings, in whichw Figure 1 is a view of my invention applied to a lamp shown in elevation, the lifting-stem being represented as at its full upward throw and standing at an angle to the perpendicular center line of the lamp and entirely clear of the lamp-chimn ey bulb. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same on line a: y of Fig. l, cutting the oil-chamber and wick device centrally, but showing the pivoted or flexible wick-lifting stem in elevation attached to the lifting-sleeve. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the wick-lifting sleeve and its pivoted stem detached. Fig. et is atop view of the same. Fig.

5 is a top view of lifting-stem Jand elongated tube U.

A is the lamp-stand, in which is held the oilreservoir O, traversed vertically by a central draft-tube B, provided at its top above the reservoir C with a sliding perforated central air-distributing cap or cone F, fitted to slide on the tube B by an enlarged portion E of said tube, cap, or cone, so that it can be raised or lowered at will, or removed, as the case may be. The wick N encompasses tube B. Its lower portion dips into the oil in chamber C and its top extends a little above the top of said tube B when in condition to be lighted.

P is a tube which surrounds the draft-tube B a distance from it sufficient to permit the wick to pass up and down between them. The chamber formed between them is called the wick-chamber. This tube P is slotted vertically from its bottom up at O to permit the wick-lit t flange H to slide up toits extreme throw without interfering with said tube I). The tube P extends upward to the height of the top of tube B and extends downward a suiiicient distance into the oil-chamber to perform its function of properly guiding the wick. It is secured a little below its top to a horizontal circular plate R', which plate R is provided with openings through it to permit the passage of air upward around the top of the wick. The plate R is provided with vertical springclasps Q for inclosing and holding the chimney D, which rests upon plate R in the usual manner. Another circular plate R is attached to and surrounds tube P toward its bottom and is about the same size as plate R. The outer edges of these plates R and R are connected by an upright shell V, perforated with air-passages. Thus an air-chamber NV is formed around the upper part of the wick and above the oil-chamber C, bounded by a portion of tube P, shell V, and top and bottom plates R and R. There is a circular opening in the upper surface of oil-chamber C and its inner edges are iianged upward, and the shell V of the abovement-ioned air-chamber lV rests within it and is supported by it on a bead, which is formed on the shell V near its bottom. Thus the top of the oil-chamber is closed, except at one point, where it is provided with an oblong opening T through its upper surface, formed by the iiat tube U, through which the stem of the wick-lifter stem J passes. This wicklift is composed of the short tube G, composed ofa band of thin metal bent into circular form and riveted together at its ends by rivet L, which are iianged out or bent for the purpose. The lifting-stem J is formed of a fiat strip of metal and pivoted at K to an upwardly-projecting extension of a laterally-projecting shank I, which is attached to the lifting-wick band G. (Shown in Figures, 3, and 4L.) The position oi' this pivot K is not arbitrarily located; but I prefer to place it substantially as shown, depending upon the length of the upwardly-projecting extension of the shank. The wick-lift band G surrounds the wick N near its bottom and clasps said wick N upon tube B. It is provided with inwardly-projecting points M to cause it to hold firmly to the substance of the woven wick, so that as the lifting-stem J is raised and lowered itcarries the wick N upward or downward on tube B, as may be desired,in lighting or extinguishing the iiame on the top of the wick N. The lifting-stem J may be made of any convenient shape, either round or flat, and may be hinged to the upwardly-projecting extension of the shank of the wick-band in any convenient manner.

The essential feature of my invention consists in joining the lifting-stem J to an upwardly-projecting extension of the upwardlyprojecting extension of the 1aterally-projecting shank I of the band G, flexibly or by a pivoted connectiomin order that its upper end may be moved away from contact with the lamp-chimney andas far a way as possible from the heat of the lamp-Haine in lifting and lowering the wick N. To permit this to be done, the opening T in the top of the oil-chamber C, through which this lifter-stein J works, is necessarily elongated, as shown particularly at Fig. 5, to permit of horizontal motion to the stem J. In other devices for lifting the Wick this has not been done, because in a vertically-moving lifter-stem side play is not required or desired. In operating my invent-ion the wick N is placed in the lifter-band G in about the position shown in Fig. 2. The air-chamber W having been removed from the top ot' the oil-chamber, the wick N and lifter-band G are slid down over the tube B. The tube P, ared out at its bottom, is then slid down over the wick N until the shell V-takes into and rests within the flanged top of oil-cham ber C. The chimney D is then placed in its position. Oil is supplied to chamber C in the usual manner through an opening covered by a screw-cap, not in View in the drawings, but located in the top of the oil-chamber. The oil is sucked up by the Wick N to its top and when lighted a brilliant flame is seen. The iame is supplied with air inwardly and upwardly through draft-tube B and perforations in cone F, outwardly through perforations in the shell V of air-chamber NV, and upward through openings V in plate R. .As the wick burns away it is necessary to clean off the incrustation and raise the Wick again to its former height above the tubes B and P. This is done by raising the lifting-stem J, seizing the handle S. It will be seen that the higher the wick N is raised by lifter-stem J and band G the farther itis possible to move the top of the lifter J away from a perpendicular line of action, and thus farther away from the chimney-bulb and the heat of the flame. This is accomplished by the pivoted joint K.

The position of parts shown in Fig. 2 represents the wick about two-thirds burned away. That in Fig. l as raised to its full height. When a new Wick is rst lighted,

the handle S of thelifter-stemJ is down near the top of the oblong tube U and the liftingband G and bottom of wick N are near the bottom of tube B and oil-chamber C. The liftenstem J will then be nearly vertical.

I do not claim, broadly, a pivotal draw-bar or lifting-stem, but only the particular construction shown herein, whereby the upper end of the bar is caused to fall away from the burner more rapidly than when its lower end is pivoted directly to a simple shank projecting laterally from the wick-band.

Having now fully described my invention and the manner in which Ihave embodied it, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a wick-adjusting device for central-draft lamps, the combination, with a wick-band having a laterally-projecting shank constructed with an upwardly-projecting extension, of a draw-barhaving its lowerend pivotally connected with the upper end of the said eXtension of the shank, substantially as set forth.

HORACE LEE CLARK.

Witnesses:

CHAs. A. ASHMEAD, NORMAN STABLER.

IOO 

